LETTERS; Gonzo

Published: December 2, 2007

To the Editor:

In his review of ''Gonzo,'' a life of Hunter Thompson (Nov. 18), Joe Klein states: ''Old age is a difficult concept for a perpetual adolescent. Hemingway couldn't handle it.'' Hemingway was not a perpetual adolescent and did not die in old age.

Jeffrey Meyers
Kensington, Calif.
The writer is the author of ''Hemingway: A Biography.

To the Editor:

Joe Klein tells us Hunter Thompson said that without drugs, ''I'd have the brain of a second-rate accountant.'' Is this akin to second-rate ballplayers, enhanced by steroids, breaking baseball's all-time home-run records? Should Thompson's work be accompanied by an asterisk?